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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · hand · net · ground · fork · stock · tube · rock

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. tube — a container
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stock — shares
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com